The western sky on Monday, July 24th, 35 minutes after sunset. The star Regulus is above Venus and the star Spica is near the moon. Mercury has moved next to Regulus on Friday the 28th. Graphic created with SkySafariAstronomy.com. Say good-by to Mars, Venus, and Mercury in the evening sky. Mars and Venus have been […]
The western sky 45 minutes after sunset on the 19th. The stars of Leo are included. Graphic created with SkySafariAstronomy. Although we’re about to lose the evening planets they’ll go out with a bang. The night of the 19th is the best night to look, but all week they put on an interesting and ever-changing […]
The sky 40 minutes after sunset on July 15. Venus has an altitude of only 10° It’s not yet dark enough to see Mercury or any but the brightest stars. Look for Mercury next week when it’s higher. The stars of Leo are above Regulus. Graphic created with SkySafariAstronomy.com. The planet show is quickly drawing […]
The moon at its smallest/most distant and at its largest/closest. It’s trivial to see the difference on paper at eye distance but not in the sky. Graphic created with SkySafariAstronomy.com.There’s good information at https://www.space.com/supermoon-syndrome-february-full-moon-2019.html and https://www.wired.com/2015/10/supermoon-isnt-super-just-moon/ Venus, Mars, and the star Regulus are together in the evening sky, sitting about 20° above the west horizon […]
June ends with Venus brilliant and conspicuous low in the west in the early evening sky, but well before the end of July it will have disappeared. These are the final few weeks to see it in the evening, so enjoy it while you can. Venus is on an orbit that’s inside the earth’s orbit, […]
Interesting things are happening in the evening sky. Venus has been the brilliant “evening star” for months, but its reign is about to end and you can watch it make its exit in the next few weeks. You’ll see Venus in early twilight (and during the day if you know where to look), and an […]
I usually begin with the moon and planets because they are responsible for most of the action in the sky. A theme of my Sky Reports is that there is motion and change in the sky at multiple time levels that you can see and appreciate with just your eyes or binoculars, and that by […]
The closest and brightest supernova – exploding star — in years burst forth in a nearby galaxy on May 19. Although close and bright you’ll need a telescope at least 6-inches in diameter to see it. It’s wonderfully placed nearly overhead in the early evening near the end star in the handle of the Big […]
Turning first to planets, Mars and Venus form a pretty pair in the evening sky. They’re only 11° apart – the width of your fist held at arm’s length — but they’re very unmatched in brightness. Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky (other than the moon) but Mars is only 1/150 as […]
This week the moon passes Venus and then Mars, but it gets especially close to neither. On the evening of the 22nd it’s 5° to the lower right of Venus and both will fit within a pair of most binoculars. On the 23rd the moon is 6½° to the upper left of Venus and the […]
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